Brazos Valley Brewing: No Ice Cream Here, Just Tasty Suds

Small towns are often devoid of much in the way of entertainment. With a low population, there is usually not enough people in the area and not enough outside interest to justify economic expansion in a tourist- driven direction. But some small towns have managed to make a name for themselves for one reason or another, providing an incubator of sorts for further growth. This is certainly the case with the small town of Brenham, Texas. With the large Bluebell Ice Cream Factory already an established tourist landmark, the area is ripe for further expansion, including, of course, breweries. This is what led me to take a special trip to the city of sugary treats for a visit to Brazos Valley Brewing, located in downtown Brenham, Texas about halfway between Austin and Houston.

Small Town Brew

Brazos Valley Brewing can be found at 201 W. 1^st Street in the heart of downtown. The brewery has no parking lot of its own, but there are side streets on all sides and it isn’t difficult to find a place for your vehicle. I arrived on a Friday evening and since it was after normal working hours, the streets were mostly clear and I had no trouble finding a place to park my car.

Walking around the corner to the brewery, one is initially greeted by an entrance that features a steel arch with the words “Brenham Brewery.” Right away, you feel like you’re walking into something important or at least something interesting. It’s not the usual entry way for a brewery, that is for certain, and it does make you anticipate what lies ahead.

Once you walk through the entry and continue onward, you will arrive at the tasting area. It isn’t very large, but there is outdoor and covered seating. Even the covered seating area is exposed to the elements, so you could find yourself feeling the sweltering heat or zipping your jacket, depending on the time of year. It’s common to find live entertainment at Brazos Valley Brewing and while they do not serve any food of their own, they will sometimes feature food trucks for special occasions.

Brazos Valley personnel are very friendly and ready to talk about beer or anything else that comes to mind. When I visited, I wanted to take a tour of the brewery itself and even though there was no official tour at the time, one of the personnel was more than happy to show me around.

What’s on Tap?

Walking straight to the bar, I found an unoccupied stool and ordered some brew. I have tasted Brazos Valley beer before, at local festivals and in cans, so I already knew about the brewery’s more popular styles. When I visited, they had five products on tap and I decided to order a small serving of each. Here is what I tried, in alphabetical order by name, followed by the style and my Untappd rating on a 5 point scale:

• 7 Spanish Angels, Brown Coffee Ale, 4
• Mama Tried, American IPA, 3.5
• Silt Brown Ale, American Brown Ale, 3.75
• Suma Babushka, Russian Imperial Stout, 4
• Willin’, Pale Ale, 3.75

Suma Babushka was not only my favorite among the five, it was also the beer I most anticipated trying since I had never seen nor heard of it before. And my patience was worth it, as this was a tasty brew in most every way, loaded with bourbon notes, caramel, and boozy goodness. I also like the 7 Spanish Angels Coffee Ale quite a bit. It is significantly lighter than Suma Babushka (about half as alcoholic) but is so pleasantly coffeeish and drinkable that you can’t help but want a second serving.

Beyond Ice Cream

Brazos Valley Brewing is a cool brewery loaded with small town charm and tasty suds. It opened a couple of years back and while it’s only about an hour’s drive from Great Beer Now headquarters, I didn’t make the trek to Brenham until recently. My loss, it turns out, as the brewery is fun and memorable in its own unique way.

I spent some time at Brazos Valley Brewing talking to a couple of personnel. I first learned about the beer and the brewery from the man behind the bar. He filled me in on the facts about the brewery’s beer styles available, involvement in the community, and so on. Another person who works for the brewery then struck up a conversation and through him, I learned all about Brazos Valley’s present growth trajectory, future plans for production, and other unique factors and challenges the brewery faces.

As I said, there was no official tour scheduled when I arrived on a Friday night, but the individual who filled me in on Brazos Valley Brewing’s future was more than happy to walk me through the brewery and chat further about the operation and where it is heading. I found it amusing when he told me about the slight resistance the brewery faces from more conservative locals, who often quietly voice their displeasure with having a functioning brewery in their city. We could have debated the oddness of such old- fashioned and outdated attitudes at length, but decided instead to talk more about Brazos Valley’s future, which could very well include relocation to a larger facility due to rapid growth.

Brazos Valley Brewing has several interesting beers to try. I was a little disappointed that there were only five beers available for sampling when I visited, but I was happy to at least discover Suma Babushka Imperial Stout. This easily made the visit worthwhile. They continuously brew other experimental, seasonal, or specialty beers periodically so depending on when you decide to visit, there is a good chance you, too, will find something new.

Small town America is an experience to behold. The majority of these smaller cities are lacking when it comes to touristy attractions, but Brenham is fortunate to now have two. Yes, the Bluebell Ice Cream factory will likely retain its top spot as the most popular tourist destination in the city, but Brazos Valley Brewing isn’t far behind. Schedule a visit, make a deal with the wife and kids to stop at Bluebell for ice cream, then head over to Brazos Valley Brewing for good beer and friendly folk. And tell then Great Beer Now sent you.